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New Jersey haunted rental nightmare is over, decided on The People’s Court

The unreal estate case of the haunted rental house has been put to rest. After this story went ALL OVER the media, (see related posts below for more), the matter was finally settled on a TV show, The People’s Court. How appropriate. The haunted claimants lose.

“The People’s Court” has ruled in the case of the Toms River “haunted house.”

Judge Marilyn Milian of the nationally syndicated television program ordered Thursday that Josue Chinchilla and Michele Callan pay three months in lost rent to their landlord, Dr. Richard Lopez, according to Kerstin Augur, the show’s publicist.

In other words, Lopez gets to keep the couple’s security deposit and is due rent on the three-bedroom ranch for the month of May, as the family still has their furniture and many of their belongings in the home.

After hearing the “spooky evidence,” which included audio tapes and testimony, Milian ordered Lopez to spend at least one night in the house himself, Augur said.

The case is scheduled to air at the start of the fall television season in September.

“I agree that these folks truly believe the place is haunted,” [David] Semanchik [lawyer for landlord, Lopez] said. “But that’s not sufficient enough proof under the law. We have contracts and there has to be an objective standard for us to break a contract.”

Semanchik said the judge said no court in the United States has ever recognized the existence of ghosts.

But, he said, if there is a haunting in this case, perhaps it is the tenants themselves who are being haunted as opposed to the property.

Tip: The Anomalist

OK, this place better not become some tourist attraction.

I have nothing more to add to this story except glad it’s over. And hope others learn their lesson. Not everyone will buy your paranormal claim and evidence of such is pretty worthless unless you rely on belief.

I don’t get it, if the judge ruled in the landlord’s favor, then why would she require him to spend one night at the address? That doesn’t make sense. That’s a ruling you’d make if you ruled in favor of a tenant making claims of an unlivable residence.